AUSTIN, Texas — The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at The University of Texas at Austin has awarded $420,300 in grants to fund four mental health policy projects aimed at producing meaningful, systemic changes in public policy that will advance the mental health of children, youth and adults in Texas. Each policy project was designed by the grantee organization and focuses on important mental health policy issues.

“As a foundation one of our goals is to support effective mental health services, research, policy and public education in Texas,” said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation and associate vice president for diversity and community engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. “These grantee-designed projects address important and relevant mental health policy issues that have the potential to generate meaningful systems change.”

We are pleased to announce the following 2014 Mental Health Policy Project Grant awardees:

Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, Inc. ($133,720) – To address the need for improved delivery of trauma-informed services to the approximately 40,000 children who are victims of sexual abuse, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas will facilitate strategic meetings and collaboration among key agencies, stakeholders and policymakers.

Community Healthcore ($77,190) – Community Healthcore will bring together peers and family members to form the Peer Policy Consortium. Through policy crafted by the Consortium, the principles, mission and values of trauma-informed care will shape the development of a crisis system of care that promotes person-centered services and supports, while reducing the need for coercive care.

Easter Seals Central Texas ($151, 990) – Easter Seals Central Texas, in partnership with the University of Texas Center for Disabilities Study, will provide recommendations to state leaders on how best to invest current and future state general revenue funds into housing initiatives for those experiencing mental illness. Additionally, Easter Seals Central Texas will advocate for amendments to the Texas Government Code that will promote the successful integration of individuals with disabilities.

United Ways of Texas ($57,400) – Despite the significant community resources invested in improving overall health outcomes for children and communities, there are no standard outcomes metrics used by agencies to measure performance that allow policy makers to gain an understanding of which interventions, services and community health strategies are most effective. To address this, United Ways of Texas in partnership with Texans Care for Children will develop a set of shared children’s mental health outcomes that can be utilized by policy makers throughout the state.

The Mental Health Policy Project grants launched in 2008. This is the sixth year of the foundation’s grant initiative to improve local, state and national public policies that affect Texas consumers of mental health services and their families.

The Hogg Foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by supporting mental health services, policy analysis, research and public education. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Gov. James S. Hogg and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.